RAM Posts - Page 53

I got to get me one of these. The guys from PC Stats have posted a review of Innoventions Ramcheck Advanced Memory Tester. It's an expensive device, which you guessed it... test's memory!

Designed and built with the reseller, memory manufacturer and computer service center in mind, the Ramcheck memory tester from Houstin-based Innoventions is a one-of-a-kind portable memory testing platform for the professional. At a cost of just under $2,000 USD for the standard unit, the Ramcheck memory tester comes in fairly inexpensive in a market populated by large desktop testers that can range in price from as much as $8,000-$26,000USD. The basic unit comes in a padded protective case with a serial cable, power supply, desktop software and instructions. Depending upon individual requirements, expansion adaptors can be used to widen the capabilities of the Ramcheck from standard 168-pin SDRAM through to DDRAM, SODIMM, SIMM, and even individual TSOP memory modules. The versatility of the unit is quite unique, though at first glace it presents a more humble impression.

Last month during Computex Taipei nVidia promised us, in no uncertain terms, the nForce2 would be impressive - We didn't think it would be quite this impressive though...

THE NFORCE 2 chipset to be announced in the middle of next week has a claimed advantage over Via's DDR 400 chipsets of around 20 per cent, according to information from a Taiwanese mobo manufacturer who wishes to remain nameless.

Steven from Legion Hardware has taken an exclusive look at the new P4X400 chipset from VIA for the Pentium 4 platform. Bringing DDR-400 support to the Pentium 4 is certainly a bonus is the memory bandwidth department for VIA.

At this years Computex tradeshow VIA released so many products we had trouble covering them all. Even before Computex VIA were announcing quite a few new products, one of which was the P4X333 chipset. However this chipset will never get the chance to see day light due to VIA's need to keep releasing new gear. SiS beat VIA as the first chipset maker to offer a DDR333 solution for the P4 platform and VIA were not about to be beaten again. That has how it would appear anyway as they steam ahead only a few months after the P4X333 launch and release the P4X400. Well I guess we all knew it was coming but not this soon. Finally, DDR memory will be able to match RD-RAM or at least be on a more competitive level at DDR400.

We've got some Kingmax DDR-400 memory in our labs currently being tested. We thought it might be interesting for you guys to have a look at the new retail packaging Kingmax are going with for their PC3200 retail memory.

We'll have a review up for you in the next couple of weeks while we finish up our testing.

Paul over at ClubOC has taken a look at some DDR-400 memory from Kingmax. In their email they said they had been waiting for several weeks to release their review and it still turned out the sample which they tested with used hand-picked DDR-333 chips. After my tour of Kingpak and Kingmax earlier this month, I believe the sample ClubOC tested still won't be the final release - Don't let these results influence you too much, as far as I understand the real DDR-400 from Kingmax is still on its way.

Again, talking to Kingmax, I was told that their DDR400 modules are handpicked DDR333 sticks tested to run at DDR400. This seems a little shady to me. I was also told that the 266 chipsets have a little more "compliant" than the current DDR333/400 chipsets and I would probably have more success running this stick using an older 266 chipset. All of this doesn't really matter. If I pay my money for something that says it will run at 200MHz, it better run at 200MHz. This one does not. Just out of curiosity and to make sure I wasn't screwing up, I searched for reviews on Kingmax DDR400. I didn't find many, but every single one that I found couldn't get it to run at 200MHz. I believe I was the only one that could even get a benchmark at 200MHz. I'm going to leave you with one last quote from Kingmax, "when you want to speed on the highway, at least do it in a Ferrari".

OC Workbench have some news (a press release actually) posted on their website about Samsung's new DDR-II technologies.

Samsung's 512Mb DDR-II SDRAM fully satisfies the JEDEC DDR-II standard set in March 2002. The device has a low 1.8-volt Vdd and has data transfer rates of 533Mbps that can be extended to a maximum of 667Mbps for networks and special system environments. With the availability of Samsung's new 512Mb DDR-II SDRAM device, high-speed, performance-enhanced, next-generation memory designs are now a reality.

OCZ emailed me earlier today about the release of their new OCZ PC3300 DDR memory which effectively operates at 400MHz. This will become increasingly important as new chipsets are released.

Portage, IndianaMarch 21, 2002 - OCZ Technology Group would like to announce the availability of OCZ Performance series DDR 400 better known as PC3300. OCZ PC3300 is built using state of the art ULN PCB to achieve speeds exceeding 400 MHz at CL2.5.

Leading memory vendors set for volume production of ultra-fast, reliable and compatible PC2700 memory modules in support of VIA DDR333 chipset platform

Taipei, Taiwan, 12th March 2002 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced the support of leading memory vendors for a broad migration to high performance DDR333 in 2002.

With the launch of the VIA Apollo KT333 for the AMD Athlon(tm) XP processor and the forthcoming VIA Apollo P4X333 for the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, memory manufacturers and module suppliers including Samsung Semiconductor, Micron Technology, Hynix Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies, Nanya Technology and Elpida Memory have started to ship DDR333 (PC2700) modules and devices specifically tested for compatibility with VIA chipsets.

"VIA DDR333 chipset platforms will deliver unparalleled system performance to the marketplace" said Richard Brown, Director of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "With a choice of validated PC2700 modules now available, end users have the security they need to upgrade to DDR333 with confidence"

"Hynix's DDR333 memory modules, used in conjunction with VIA's Apollo KT333, delivers outstanding performance and features," said Farhad Tabrizi, Vice President of Worldwide Memory Marketing for Hynix Semiconductor Inc. "Hynix continues to pave the way for availability of low cost, high performance DDR features, utilizing validated PC2700 architecture and providing consumers with powerful technology that delivers exceptional system performance."

"Our customers tell us that speed counts," said Tom Quinn, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.'s vice president of marketing. "Samsung's fully validated DDR333 memory modules will ensure that VIA DDR333 chipset platform customers will have all the high-performance memory they need at competitive prices."

"Micron has been working with industry partners to enable DDR SDRAM and we are happy to report that DDR333 is well on its way to becoming the next DDR speed grade to be supported," said Brett Williams, Micron DRAM Strategic Marketing Manager. "Having validated our DDR333 modules with VIA's KT333 chipset, we will ramp production of DDR333 to coincide with industry demand."

Cameron "Sov" Johnson has just finished up with an exclusive review of some Kingmax DDR-333 (PC2700) Memory. Can the newr and bigger numbers really aid in the performance of your system? Come on in and find out!